A different type of graduation photos were the focus this fall, instead of a senior in high school, Ava is finishing her masters degree at Grand Valley (which is also my alma mater)! I love the idea of celebrating the accomplishment of college graduates and wish we did it just as much as high school graduates. Her only picture requests were the iconic blue bridge downtown and a GVSU sign which we easily managed and even captured some of the last fall colors before the weather turned cold :)
I’m glad I have a flexible work schedule so that in the middle of the day on a Wednesday I could meet up with Sheena and James after their courthouse wedding ceremony to take a few pictures! The weather was beautiful, if a little too sunny, and the fall colors were just starting to show during my walk around Grand Ravines with the newlyweds. Sheena and James are part of a community that loves Jeeps so we also made sure to take some pictures by their car (which was a first for me). These two managed to be both classy and silly and we got so many great pictures in less than an hour. Here are some of my favorites, congratulations again Sheena and James!
Abby and I used to work together so I love that we have been able to stay in touch via photographing big moments! Three years ago I took engagement photos for her and Nic at this same location in the Grand Ravines and two years ago I was able to photograph their wedding! I’m so excited that they are expecting twin girls this winter and can’t wait to see them as parents. Here are some of my favorites from Abby and Nic’s engagement session :)
Last fall I donated a gift certificate for a photo session at a fundraiser for Hestovin Stables, a therapeutic riding center in Grand Rapids. Growing up as a horse girl I am always excited for opportunities to be around horses as an adult! Lila and Siena’s grandma bought the gift certificate and waited to redeem it until the girls who live out of state were visiting Michigan this summer. Despite the very hot day these two were so fun, they didn’t want to stop brushing and petting the horses and they also entertained me with a lot of random questions such as “why are horses feet like that?” Here are some of my favorite pictures from their photo session at the stables!
Today was the annual Day of Play celebration for the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, a place I have volunteered for many years! Last year I wished I had my camera to take pictures of the foam, so this year I made sure to have it with me (such a photographer thing to do) :) Kids and adults played in the foam and didn’t mind getting wet. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the celebration of the museum’s 27th birthday!
My sister in law is expecting her first baby, and my first nephew, in early September so she asked if I’d take some maternity pictures to document this time. Her only request was “flowers” so Grand Ravines made for the perfect spot for early July wildflowers! My brother was less excited about having his picture taken, but we did get a few with both of them. We also got so lucky with the weather, there was a threat of rain all day but nothing happened while we were at the park :)
Time never seems to go as fast as when I do milestone photo session for babies! I’m grateful that my friends Mary and Aaron have wanted to document both their kids growth during the first year because it also gives me a day every three months to catch up with them. At six months old, Grace loves her pacifier and sucking on her bottom lip. Getting smiles smiles was difficult until big brother Ian came home from preschool and made her laugh :) Since it was an unseasonably warm day in February we also took a few pictures outside in their yard and of course had to get one of their dog/ first kid Toby.
This has been a slower than normal October, so last weekend I posted on Facebook asking if any of my friends wanted photos before the leaves fall off the trees. Luckily, the Bopp family responded and we got their pictures scheduled the same day at the beautiful campus of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids. I love taking pictures there and hadn’t had the chance in a long time, so when they suggested the location I immediately agteed Here are some of my favorites of the Bopp family :)
Leo wanted senior pictures that would be unique and different from the other seniors at school, so it was decided that taking them during art prize would be really unique since the exhibits are time limited. Leo’s mom accompanied us on the photo session downtown Grand Rapids and she asked for a few pictures with her oldest child who she described as growing up alongside her. There was a threat of rain the evening we scheduled pictures, but luckily it stayed dry long enough to get these pictures done. Have a great senior year Leo!
The weather has been less than ideal for springtime photos in west Michigan that last few weeks, and after rescheduling 3 times I finally met up with Germaine. Though it’s not as common as high school graduation, I love the idea of taking pictures to commemorate college graduation. Germaine will be getting a degree in computer science from Calvin University this weekend and managed to find time between exams for a photo session. She braved the cold and walked around campus with heels on, but smiled through it all. This was both of our first attempts at getting champagne to spray for photos and luckily it worked out. Congratulations and good luck with whatever comes next Germaine!
